. I (cont.)

"O young man" The Prophet (peace be upon him) called out to ibn Abbaas, "O young man." This was to get ibn Ab baas' attention. He now would listen for he knew that this was to be followed by something addressed specifically to him.2 When the Prophet (peace be upon him) made this statement to ibn Abbaas, ibn Abbaas was just about to enter the state of puberty. This is truly a significant aspect of this hadith. The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught ibn Abbaas some of the most fundamental aspects of the religion. He taught them to ibn Abbaas at a time that he could start practicing and implementing them. In this way, he would grow up attached to these fundamentals. By the time he became a man, he already understood what he is doing in this world. He already understood what his purpose was in this life. In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) teaches this young man about patience, victory, hardship, relief and so forth. Commenting on this aspect, al-Baitaar wrote, What is the relationship between this young man and these teachings? What does he know about victory, the need for victory and what are the means to victory? How does he know what hardships, worries and concerns are or what is difficulty or ease? . . . But the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was the real teacher. He intentionally taught this person at that age and he intentionally taught him these words because he knewand he was receiving revelation-- that a young person is more in need of these teachings than an older person. This is because these words are a portion of a Muslim's belief. If a young man grows up with these beliefs, they form part of his being and thinking, they intertwine with his flesh and blood. If he is left without them until his thought and behaviors become rigid, no matter how much one will try to teach him and convince him later, his background that he was brought up upon, of fear, despair and relying upon humans, will drive his 1 Al-Qaari presents and rejects that alternative explanation. Al-Qaari, vol. 10, p. 53. 2 Some scholars have concluded from this that as a teaching method, one should get the students' attention first, so that the student would be completely attuned to what the teacher was about to say. Cf., Sultaan, p. 178. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi thought and actions. Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) directed these specific words to a young man who was just about to reach the stage of puberty so that he could live under these teachings and think in this manner without any need for later convincing or teaching. 1 One can see examples of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) teaching youth in many hadith. He took the time to teach ibn Abbaas, Abdullah ibn Masood, al-Numaan ibn Basheer and many of the other young Companions. He taught them essential matters while they were still young. They grew up practicing them and increasing their understanding of them every day. Finally, when they reached manhood and later, they understood those concepts very well. They had become "second nature" to them. This is how a Muslim child must be brought up in the religion of Islam. He must be taught its essential aspects before he reaches the age of puberty. Children at that age can understand these basics and they can apply them to some extent even at an early age. This aspect of training young Muslims in the proper beliefs is something that needs to be revived today. Perhaps under the influence of the West, many Muslim children behave as if they are not responsible for their actions or are not adults until they are eighteen or twenty-one years old and so forth. One will find at Muslim conferences, young Muslims who are attending college-- and can fathom physics and calculussitting in the youth sessions with eightand nine-year olds, claiming that the lectures are too difficult for them. Muslim children have to realize that at the moment they reach puberty, they are responsible for all of their actions. They are no longer children. They are, in essence, adults. It is a must that the parents realize this also. They must start teaching their children the essence of Islam at a young age. They must bring them up understanding what it means to believe that there is no god but Allahin the same way that the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave these very important teachings to ibn Abbaas. In this way, by the time they reach puberty, they have an understanding that they are responsible in front of Allah. They have an understanding that they are going to meet Allah and that all of their actions will be presented on that Day. These are not difficult concepts. Children of that age can easily grasp them.